Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 7/10/1997
From: Wildwood, New Jersey
The show starts off with a confrontation between Tod Gordon and Bill Alfonso with Gordon attacking Alfonso until Rob Van Dam came out. Sandman also came out but Van Dam kicks a chair into his face. Tommy Dreamer comes in and hammers away on Van Dam. Louie Spicolli enters to attack Dreamer with Van Dam kicking a chair into Dreamer’s face. As you will see, these guys will be wrestling each other later on in the show.
Opening Contest: PG-13 (JC Ice & Wolfie D)vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Spike Dudley: Spike and Ice start the match after a lengthy stall session by PG-13. Early on, Spike knocks Ice to the floor where he is clutching his arm and Whipwreck even went to check on him to see if he was alright, luckily he appears to be fine. Spike continues to get the advantage on Ice but doesn’t get a pin fall on his opponent. Dudley attempts a cross body but is caught but Whipwreck hits a slingshot cross body to take everyone out on the floor. Whipwreck is in the match now and scoop slams Wolfie. Wolfie dances after a shoulder block but is punched by Whipwreck after taking a bow. Ice tags back into the match and Mikey hits a snap suplex for a two count. Wolfie misses an elbow drop and Ice ends up elbow dropping Wolfie on accident. Whipwreck is the face in peril as PG-13 works over Whipwreck for a few moments.
Dudley gets a rather quick tag and backdrops Ice but Ice quickly drives Spike down with a sit down power bomb. Wolfie and Ice hit an atomic drop and clothesline combo for a near fall. Dudley runs into a big boot by Ice who drives Spike head first into the top turnbuckle. Wolfie and Ice hit a side slam/elbow drop off the middle rope for a near fall on Spike. Whipwreck tries to get involved but is stopped by the referee. Ice hits a springboard neck breaker from the apron off the top rope. Ice misses a top rope swanton bomb and Dudley tags in Whipwreck who cleans house. Ice gets crotched on the top and Whipwreck pins Wolfie after a missile dropkick by Dudley. (**. That could have been a lot worse. There was a little too much stalling, but PG-13 seemed to have some fine double team moves. Not an explosive opener that is usually ideal.)
Second Contest: Little Guido & Tracy Smothers vs. Danny Doring & Roadkill: Guido and Doring start the match with Doring nearly pinning Guido with a rollup. Guido shoves Doring and they exchange shoves until Roadkill is tagged in and shoves Guido as well. Smothers tags into the match to square off with Roadkill. Smothers takes Roadkill over with a fireman’s carry and plays to the crowd. Smothers shoulder blocks Roadkill to continue his taunting as well. Roadkill power slams Smothers and sends Tracy over the top with a clothesline. Doring baseball slides both Guido and Smothers on the floor. Roadkill knocks Guido off the apron but gets met with a heel kick from Tracy who sends Roadkill to the floor. Guido sends Roadkill into the guard railing. Guido scoop slams Roadkill and drops a knee before tagging in Smothers. Smothers clotheslines Roadkill for a near fall and tags in Guido who knocks Doring off the apron.
Roadkill continues to be worked over as Smothers hit a heel kick. Roadkill plants Guido with a power bomb but isn’t freed up to make the tag, but eventually does. Doring cleans house and sends Smothers to the floor. A double side Russian leg sweep on Doring leads to the pin fall for the FBI. (**. Similar to the opening match, it was a decent match but not overly entertaining. It’s a basic match and totally forgettable.)
Third Contest: Chris Chetti vs. Shane Douglas: They shake hands prior to the bell. Chetti takes Douglas over with an arm drag which gets Douglas to clap for the rookie. Chetti sends Douglas to the floor to get out of a hammerlock. Chetti works over Douglas with right hands and hits a hip toss. Chetti drops Douglas with a dropkick and slaps the back of Shane’s head. Chetti avoids Douglas in the corner to hit a power slam. Chetti stomps on Douglas hand and maintains his offense working on the left hand. Douglas is frustrated and heads towards the backstage area to regroup. Francine distracts Chetti to allow Douglas to get the cheap advantage. Chetti locks in a figure four but isn’t getting a submission out of the Franchise. Douglas gets out of the hold and begins to shove the referee which causes the referee to shove back and Chetti nearly wins with a rollup. Douglas clotheslines Chetti but Chetti hits a vertical suplex on Douglas. Chetti drops Douglas with a super kick for a near fall as Douglas gets his foot on the bottom rope. Chetti goes after Francine on the floor. Douglas baseball slides Chetti chest first into the railing. Douglas crotches Chetti over the railing and grabs the ring bell which he rams Chetti head first into on the apron.
Rick Rude is making his way to ringside and abducts Francine flipping her upside down and kisses her butt along with a bite! Chetti nearly pins Douglas with the distraction but Douglas spikes Chetti with a piledriver. Douglas hits a second piledriver. Douglas keeps control decking Chetti with a right hand from the floor. Douglas drops Chetti gut first across the top rope. Chetti fights back with a couple of atomic drops and a clothesline. Chetti comes off the ropes to hit a swinging neck breaker for a near fall. Chetti misses a double springboard moonsault and Douglas attempts a belly to belly suplex but Chris countered with a tornado DDT for a two count. Douglas counters a German suplex with the belly to belly suplex for the win. (**1/4. Alright, when Rude came out they should have just went home because that was the peak of the action but instead they extended the match several minutes that weren’t all that exciting. It’s the best match thus far, but it’s just average wrestling.)
Fourth Contest: Bam-Bam Bigelow vs. Bobby Duncum Jr.: Bigelow hip tosses Duncum into the ring from the apron but Duncum bails to the floor again to avoid Bigelow. Duncum avoids a right hand in the corner and works over Bigelow with several strikes. Bigelow backdrops Bobby but isn’t able to get control of the match. Duncum works over Bigelow with basic strikes to keep control of the contest. Bigelow trips Duncum to the canvas and delivers a head butt to his groin. Bobby attempts a sunset flip from the apron but Bigelow sits down on Duncum. Bigelow works over Duncum with a falling head butt for a near fall. Bigelow runs into a big boot and Duncum gets a near fall following an elbow drop. Bigelow drops Duncum with a vertical suplex and hits an elbow drop. Bobby stops Bigelow with a jaw breaker and works over the left knee. Bigelow pins Duncum with a sit down splash. (*1/4. Yeah, that wasn’t all that good. Why Duncum competed in ECW is beyond me, honestly.) After the match, Duncum attacks the referee because he is a loser.
Fifth Contest: Chris Candido vs. Balls Mahoney: Balls opens the match getting the early advantage on Candido with a shoulder block and Candido stalls a bit afterward. Mahoney backs Candido into a corner and works over Chris with strikes. Mahoney hip tosses and arm drags Candido several times to maintain control of the bout. Mahoney misses a running attack causing him to crash over the top to the floor. Candido takes Balls out with a slingshot cross body on the floor and sends Balls into the guard railing. Candido sends Mahoney face first into a table at ringside. Mahoney recovers and sets the table up against the railing but Candido sends Mahoney crashing through the table. Candido takes Mahoney over with a snap vertical suplex and hits a middle rope fist drop for a two count. Mahoney misses a splash in the corner and crashes to the canvas. Candido plants Mahoney with a power bomb and stumbles through the middle to the floor. Mahoney hits a power slam to counter a top rope cross body for a near fall. Candido stops Balls on the top rope with right hands.
Candido hits a top rope hurricanrana but Mahoney no sells the move. Mahoney backdrops Candido followed by an atomic drop and clothesline for a two count. Balls has a steel chair and knocks out the referee with a vicious chair shot. Candido kicks the chair into Mahoney’s face for a near fall as a second referee comes into the ring. Candido heads to the top rope but is dropped by Mahoney for a near fall. Candido plants Mahoney with a DDT as Shane Douglas comes down to ringside to give Candido some powder. Mahoney blocks the powder with his hands and splashes Candido in the corner. Douglas hits Mahoney with a chair from the floor and Candido gets the pin following a piledriver. (**1/4. It was similar to the Douglas/Chetti match but was the interference needed to protect Mahoney in this situation? They had a few entertaining spots but towards the end I was just wanting a finish between them because it wasn’t an overly interesting matchup.)
Sixth Contest: ECW World Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boys vs. Axl Rotten & New Jack: Considering the participants in the match, it’s not hard to figure out how this match goes. New Jack entered the ring from behind to attack the champs. There are plenty of weapon shots that I’d get bored mentioning. If you’ve seen one New Jack match in ECW then you’ve seen them all. Axl Rotten comes out to help New Jack and they brawl into the crowd and all that great stuff. Dudley Boys hit the 3D on Jack to retain the titles. Just your typical brawl with constant weapon shots.
Seventh Contest: ECW Television Champion Taz vs. John Kronus: Taz hits a dragon suplex to drop Kronus on his head in the early moments of the contest. Kronus hits a slingshot senton splash from the apron into the ring. Kronus hits a somersault leg drop for a two count. Taz takes Kronus over with a t-bone suplex. Kronus power bombs Taz and hits a twisting splash from the top for a two count. Kronus scoop slams Taz and hits a springboard moonsault for a near fall. Taz blocks a handspring elbow in the corner and locks in the Taz Mission for the victory. (**. A rather quick but fun match.)
Eighth Contest: Louie Spicolli vs. Tommy Dreamer in an I Quit match: Spicolli takes Dreamer out with a suicide dive to start the match and sends Dreamer into the ring post and a steel chair on the floor. Spicolli chokes Dreamer with a steel chair but isn’t able to get Dreamer to quit. Spicolli works over Dreamer with a head butt in the ring. Spicolli drops Dreamer with a kick to the back of his head sending Tommy to the floor. Spicolli misses a double axe handle off the apron and hits the railing chest first instead. Dreamer chokes Louie on the floor with a fans cane but Spicolli sends Dreamer into the railing and kisses Beulah! Beulah slaps Spicolli and Dreamer rams Louie head first into the railing. Dreamer avoids a kick and hits a bulldog. Dreamer kicks Spicolii on the side of the head before putting Spicolli in a tree of woe. Tommy places a steel chair in front of Spicolli’s face to hit a dropkick.
They go to the floor where Dreamer crotches Spicolii on the railing and comes off the apron to hit Spicolii with a metal object. Spicolli drops Dreamer chest first across the railing but Dreamer backdrops Louie on the floor to counter a piledriver attempt. Spicolli hits the spine buster in the ring and grabs a steel chair. Spicolli chokes Dreamer and pulls Beulah into the ring and humps her before a low blow stops that. Louie counters a DDT with a northern lights suplex. Spicolli heads to the top rope but is met with an atomic drop and Dreamer has a piece of wood that he drives into Spicolli’s groin. Louie punches Dreamer to stop that madness. Spicolli has a chair and goes for the Death Valley Driver but Beulah enters to distract him. Louie grabs Beulah and looks to hit the Death Valley Driver but Dreamer hits Spicolli wight eh wooden spike. Dreamer is digging the spike into Louie’s eye and he gets Spicolli to quit. (***. That was an enjoyable match with Spicolli being a douche very well. The action was fun and it wasn’t over the top but enough to keep it entertaining. Spicolli was very entertaining here.)
Tod Gordon and Bill Alfonso will be handcuffed to a ring post for the main event.
Main Event: Rob Van Dam vs. The Sandman: RVD misses a spin kick and is met with a DDT from Sandman who holds Alfonso so that Gordon can handcuff him. They aren’t attached to the post but rather to each other. RVD hits a top rope leg drop to the back of Sandman’s head and taunts the fans. Van Dam baseball slides Sandman into the guard railing. RVD follows up with a suicide dive taking Sandman into the railing back first. RVD hits a slingshot leg drop on Sandman across the apron. RVD super kicks Sandman and sends him into the railing followed by a spin kick. Sandman avoids RVD on dive and hits a suplex onto the railing. Back in the ring, RVD hits a standing hurricanrana and hits the rolling thunder. Van Dam dropkicks a seated Sandman a couple of times. Van Dam kicks Sandman several times in the chest to drop Sandman. Van Dam continues to work over Sandman in the corner. Sandman drops Van Dam with a kick to the head and hits a slingshot senton from the apron for a near fall.
Sandman places RVD on the top turnbuckle looking for a hurricanrana but RVD knocks Sandman off the top and drops Sandman with a leaping kick followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Sandman crotches RVD on the top turnbuckle and hits a hurricanrana but only gets a near fall. Sandman has his kendo stick but is backdropped over the top to the floor. Van Dam takes Sandman out with a slingshot cross body to the floor. Louie Spicolli enters the ring and attacks the referee. Spicolli decks Tod Gordon from behind to free Alfonso from the handcuffs. Sandman places Van Dam across the top rope and hits a leg drop. Spicolli handcuffs Gordon to the ropes as Louie enters to attack Sandman hitting a Death Valley Driver.
Van Dam kicks a chair into Sandman’s face as Gordon is trying to get his hands on Alfonso. Tommy Dreamer slides into the ring and plants Van Dam with a DDT. Dreamer hammers away on Spicolli sending him to the floor. Sandman covers RVD and gets the pin fall. (**1/2. A decent main event with the interferences being a good addition in this instance. It may have been a little sloppy but it was enjoyable to watch.) After the match, the heels put the good guys in two tree of woes. Dreamer and Sandman have chairs dropkicked into their faces. The heels leave the ring with Sandman and Dreamer left laying along with Tod Gordon. So much for sending the fans home happy. Instead, Dreamer pours beer on Beulah and rubs his face into her chest… so does Sandman.
Final Thoughts:
Mostly average wrestling aside from Spicolli/Dreamer which was easily the best match on the show. The comes in just over three hours, so I can’t recommend sitting and watching this show for three hours. However, there are far worse shows you could watch. It’s just an average show with not a lot of hardcore wrestling.
Thanks for reading.